1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switching arrangement and circuit therefor to be used in an automatic pinsetter to provide for the positive activation of the machinery in the instance of a weakly bowled ball.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore the Brunswick automatic pinsetters, both fully mechanical and partially electronic, have had difficulty in going through their normal operation when a weakly bowled ball is rolled by the bowler. This problem arose generally when children bowled, and required the constant use of the "reset" button at or near the scoring table.
When a lightly rolled ball was bowled, it would strike the cushion at the rear of the well at the end of the alley with insufficient force to trigger the cycling of the machinery.
In the Brunswick machines, in order to actuate the trigger switch the bowled ball must strike the cushion at the back of the well with sufficient force to pivot the cushion. This movement would cause the cushion rod to rise which in turn through the various linkages cause the rake to come down thereafter actuating a trigger clip (in the partially electronic machinery) and thereby closing the trigger switch. If there was any "slop" or "play" in the linkages, a soft impact or weak movement of the cushion would not be sufficient to actuate the triggering mechanism.
Sometimes the ball would be caused to vibrate against the cushion by the vibration of the carpet causing the contact of ball to cushion to be intermittent thereby interrupting the operation and thereby requiring the pressing of the "reset" button by the bowler. This intermittent operation arose because the agitated carpet in the well made the bowling ball contact the cushion intermittently by its agitated movement without sufficient force on the cushion to cause the lifting of the cushion rod to activate the rake and thereby cause the rake spring clip to turn and close the contacts of the switch to operate the time delay module. In the cases of the purely mechanical and partially electric pinsetter, the time delay would not operate properly thereby requiring the use of the "reset" mechanism of the machine.
The improper operation of the machine caused delay and in many instances, provoked added maintenance, time and costs to the point where major losses in revenue were occasioned. Many attempts have been made to remedy this problem but none have been successful.
It is toward the elimination of these as well as other problems that this invention is directed.